Selecting Whole-House Ventilation Strategies to Meet Proposed ASHRAE 62.2: Energy Cost Considerations

ASHRAE Standard 62.2P is being proposed to address residential ventilation issues. As housing, especially new housing, gets more airtight and better insulated, it has become clear that many homes are under-ventilated. The Standard contains requirements that provide minimum ventilation rates and source control measures necessary for acceptable indoor air quality. This paper uses previously reported analytical techniques to compare the energy costs of various ventilation strategies for a wide variety of climates and housing types. For new construction, we conclude that mechanical ventilation is needed. In new houses with gas heating, the cheapest whole-house system is a central exhaust fan. The marginal energy costs to provide such ventilation are on the order of 50¢ per day. However, other systems can be more appropriate when depressurization, filtration, moisture, and more expensive heating fuels are considered. For most of the existing housing stock, we conclude that infiltration provides adequate ventilation.